TOKYO - Posing for a snapshot with a glittery championship belt in a packed theater, Seigi Nishiyama was among some 600 fans who can't get enough of World Wrestling Entertainment.

"The stories are so much more detailed compared to Japanese wrestling — it's like watching a movie," the 34-year-old food manufacturing employee said Sunday.

WWE is famous in the United State for its brand of professional wrestling, a kind of simulated sport and performance art that combines brute force with elaborate soap-opera story lines and larger-than-life characters with names like the Undertaker and Rey Mysterio.

WWE's big push to market itself in Japan is nowhere clearer than at gatherings like Sunday's SummerSlam Festival, a raucous party that charges fans a $30 admission fee to watch recorded WWE pay-per-view events on giant video screens.

The videos can also be watched at home, but going to events gives fans things they can't find in their living rooms — such as guest wrestlers flown in from the U.S., booths selling WWE T-shirts and key chains as well as plenty of camaraderie in this niche but seriously dedicated crowd.

WWE, based in Stamford, Conn., racks up annual global pay-per-view sales of $100 million. It won't disclose regional breakdowns, but it sees Japan as one of its most important overseas markets.

The latest push is spearheaded by the WWE's Japan office, which opened this year and is its only overseas office devoted to a single nation. The office hopes to woo Japanese newcomers, including teens and families, not just its usual 20-40 year-old fan base.

It remains to be seen whether WWE can follow the path of such American imports as Hollywood movies, hip-hop music and Disneyland.

Japan has its own brand of professional wrestling that is less outrightly fictional than WWE. The WWE is open about how no real fighting is involved. But Japanese wrestling is historically inspired by its American counterpart and boasts its own heroes and themes.

WWE's only Japanese superstar is 40-year-old Shoichi Funaki, who goes by the ring name Funaki. He acknowledges that Japanese are just starting to enjoy WWE, with all its boisterous exchanges and flamboyance, complete with heckling.

"Japanese fans are changing," he told The Associated Press. "The key is to give them more opportunities to watch WWE. If they see it, they'll get it."

Funaki said working with the WWE requires him to sell his created character to fans as a full-fledged entertainer, not just an athlete, as well as more obvious challenges such as mastering English and staying in top shape.

WWE's weekly TV shows — called Raw, SmackDown and ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) — feature ongoing story lines.

"Even if you've never watched it before, you can jump in and start watching because it's good versus evil," said Ed Wells, vice president and general manager of WWE Japan. "We always refer to ourselves as sports entertainment. We created that genre in the U.S. and it's something that we are now, as of this year, taking really worldwide."

A Japanese jeweler is selling a 13-piece tableware set made entirely of pure gold for $1 million.

The set by Ginza Tanaka includes goblets, plates, chopsticks and cutlery, each engraved with a dragon, which symbolizes eternal youth and health.

The items are available as single purchases, with spoons priced at 650,000 yen each and soup bowls going for 32 million yen

It is also an ancient Chinese tradition that those who eat from gold tableware will have eternal youth and life.

The company said the tableware was aimed to appeal to Chinese customers. China's increasing ranks of newly rich are buoying the luxury market despite the global economic slowdown.

“Recently, there have been a lot of Chinese customers. When they visit our store, we try to appeal to them by showing we can also design Chinese-style tableware,” said Naoto Mizuki, general manager of the store's marketing department.

“I'm sure that this would be a nice gift for older people so that their whole family can enjoy dinner together.”

The company also hopes that the set will be used as gifts for the elderly to mark Respect-for-the-Aged Day on Sept. 15, a spokesman said.

Ginza Tanaka has offered in the past a range of goods made from gold, ranging from a gold bathtub to a gold bathing suit.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Tiger Woods is already the world's top-ranked golfer and highest paid athlete. And if all goes according to plan, he'll soon be sporting his biggest trophy yet: a luxury golf course hewn from the sands of the Arabian desert.

The ambitious project, touted as the first course in the world designed by the 2008 U.S. Open champion, remains a work in progress on the outskirts of this Middle Eastern boomtown — much like the rapidly growing city itself.

But the project's chief said Monday that the first phase of the development, which among other unlikely features promises 5 million square feet of locally grown grass and more than 30,000 full-grown imported trees, is on target for completion sometime in the last three months of 2009.

This report outlines a sensible business approach to analyzing and adapting to the physical risks of climate change. It focuses on a critical first step in assessing these climate impacts: understanding the potential risks to business and the importance of taking action to mitigate those risks. Not all businesses need to take action now; this paper develops a qualitative screening process to assess whether a business is likely to be vulnerable to the physical risks associated with climate change, and whether a more detailed risk assessment is warranted.

There must be something going on at Time magazine. In roughly a two-month time span they ran two articles about how businesses can thrive by paying more attention to employees. While this doesn't sound like rocket science, I suppose in a business world seemingly driven solely by the needs of shareholders, it's a refreshing shift in thought and (hopefully) practice.

Northwestern University released the first study on "employee engagement" back in 2004. The report, "The Impact of Employee Attitudes on Market Response and Financial Performance," showed a link between employees who have no customer contact and increased customer satisfaction, and then further connected customer satisfaction with higher sales and profits.

These results caught most people by surprise. It was a given that while employees who interacted with customers and clients could directly impact a company's bottom line, few thought that all employees' attitudes could have a similar effect. A more recent study from Gallup Consulting, released this year, echoes these findings. Gallup's research showed that engaged employees are "more profitable" and "more customer-focused." They are also less likely to quit.

In a few short years, employee engagement has emerged as a hot industry for the big-name management consulting companies that have zeroed in on improving employee engagement in the nation's top corporations. But there's a lot that owners of small and mid-sized businesses can learn from the research.

First, more of the obvious. A look at several employee engagement studies shows essentially the same results:

1. Employee satisfaction leads to employee engagement.
2. Companies with engaged employees show improved financial performance.
3. Employee attitudes and behaviors directly influence customer actions.

A 2008 report from BlessingWhite, a management consulting firm, found that only 29 percent of North American workers are fully engaged while 19 percent are actually disengaged, which leaves most workers in limbo. Other surveys report even gloomier results. DDI, a consulting firm specializing in workforce and HR issues, says only 19 percent of employees are fully engaged, while the Corporate Executive Board found only 11 percent of workers were "true believers."

Logic and experience tell us that it costs our businesses less to retain current staff rather than constantly recruiting and training new workers. The BlessingWhite study reported that 85 percent of engaged employees plan to stay with their present employers. If your business can come close to this percentage, it will obviously positively impact your bottom line. The founders of Whole Foods Markets and the Container Store both recently told Time magazine that they started their companies with the idea of pleasing customers, but as their businesses grew and prospered, they shifted their priorities to their employees. Workers at these to companies receive higher salaries and better benefits compared to workers at most other U.S. retailers.

I know times are tough and it's not likely you're in a position to give your staff raises or increase their benefits. But the good news, according to the BlessingWhite report, is that it's not necessarily the key to more engaged employees. It's no surprise that the motivations for staying at a job differ between engaged and disengaged employees, but I found these motives interesting. According to the study, engaged employees stay at their jobs for what they can give (they like what they do), while disengaged workers stay for what they can get (job security).

You may think you have the upper hand right now. It's hard to find work in recessionary times, so your employees might stick around just for the sake of having a job. But that doesn't mean they're working to their maximum level of productivity; in fact, it's likely just the opposite. And their lackluster attitudes will likely reflect on your business's financial performance. More important, when the economic pendulum swings back (and we all know it will) and workers have more jobs to choose from, you're going to find yourself without a trained and knowledgeable staff.

It may seem counterintuitive, but instead of asking more and giving less to your staff, you can get a lot by giving a little. It won't necessarily cost you much. Employees want to enjoy what they do. They want to know they're making a difference by helping make your company successful, and they want to be valued and respected for those contributions. Try saying "thank you." It sounds so simplistic, but most bosses simply don't bother. It won't cost you anything, but acknowledging your staff's contributions can pay off, both in the short and the long term.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Standard & Poor's said late Friday it may downgrade the ratings of American International Group Inc. because of significant declines in the insurer's share price and an increase in credit spreads on the company's debt. S&P has an AA-/A-1+ rating on AIG. "We believe that AIG has sufficient capital and liquidity to meet its policy obligations and potential collateral requirements, which are significantly greater than the expected cash losses on the mortgage-related assets," said Rodney Clark, an S&P credit analyst, in a statement. "However, additional market value losses will place some strain on the company's resources."

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks on Friday were mixed after a two-day winning streak, as an unexpected drop in retail sales and high anxiety over the fate of investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. weighed on investors' sentiment. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 11.72 points, or 0.1%, to end at 11,421.99, leaving the blue-chip index up 1.9% on the week. The S&P 500 climbed 2.65 points, or 2.7%, to 1,251.70, up 0.8% from last Friday's close. The Nasdaq Composite rose 3.05 points, or 0.1%, to end at 2,261.27, leaving the technology-laden index 0.2% ahead for the week.

After two weeks facing down Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Lehman Brothers, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may look forward to dealing with mundane matters such as inflation and a slowing economy. He gets his chance in the upcoming week when the Federal Open Market Committee meets Tuesday, its penultimate meeting before Election Day.

The data Bernanke and company will look at when they convene are daunting, exacerbated by confusing and somewhat contradictory numbers in the last week. Friday was a perfect illustration, with reports showing consumers saying they are confident, but not acting that way. Retail sales fell sharply as consumer confidence rebounded. The retail-sales numbers are probably a better reflection of the economy, on the heels of last Monday’s report that consumer borrowing growth has slowed.

While the University of Michigan survey was upbeat--the sharpest month-to-month gain since January 2004--at 73.1, the index was well below levels during the 1990-91 and 2001 recessions. And, because the survey is done by telephone, it misses people who do not have landlines, generally people under 40 who are more likely to have a higher unemployment rate, more likely to earn less than $15,000 a year and less likely to earn more than $75,000--in other words, more likely to be pessimistic.

The weak retail sales numbers suggest a concern for the overall economy because retail sales are about 40% of consumer spending, which is about 70% of the entire economy. For the first two months of the third quarter--July and August--retail sales are down a cumulative 0.8%.

It is that concern that will carry into the FOMC meeting--but there are others, some less publicized. According to a survey, 53% of Americans over 60 said today's economic conditions are worse than those they have experienced in the past, even though unemployment and inflation rates have been higher within the last 30 years. That’s significant from a population that has lived through 11 recessions--at least six of which occurred during their adulthood (since 1969). 

The survey from the MetLife Mature Market Institute reported an overwhelming majority of this group is feeling the pinch in today's current economy and it has affected the way they spend their money--but not their plans for retirement.

Data from the most recent employment report showed an increasing number of individuals aged 55 or over are continuing to work (some of that increase may be due to people turning 55 from one month to the next). The number of people aged 55-plus who are working has increased in 10 of the last 12 months, and represents about 17.4% of the working population, up from 16.9% one year earlier and 16.4% one year before that.

The other concern for the FOMC Tuesday will be inflation: though the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a decline wholesale prices led a by drop in energy costs, BLS data also showed a nagging, steady climb in core wholesale prices. That means the FOMC will continue to have to balance its two mandates: price stability and maximum sustainable economic growth (usually denominated by the unemployment rate). The simple measure of the two is the “misery index” created by economist Arthur Okun who chaired the Council of Economic Advisers in 1968-69. The index is the sum of unemployment and inflation rates. The index is 11.4, its highest level since March 2004.

Just before the announcement of the FOMC’s decision Tuesday, BLS will report consumer price index inflation for August. Beyond perhaps affecting the FOMC decision, the BLS report will be the second report for the third quarter, the quarter which determines the coast of living increase for Social Security recipients. Total CPI, tracking the wholesale price index, is expected to have fallen in August while core CPI, excluding food and energy probably increased--possibly beyond the “comfort zone” for the FOMC.

Data later in the week are likely to reconfirm the extended housing slowdown with a continued downturn in single-family housing permits and starts. Any increase in total permits and starts will be driven by multi-family activity which only underscores concerns about the single family market.

The Federal Reserve Thursday issues its quarterly “Flow of Funds” report, one of the more comprehensive sets of data. Of note will be movement in household net worth which has fallen for two straight quarters.

Mark Lieberman is the senior economist for the Fox Business Network. Prior to joining FOX, he served as first vice president and manager of economic analysis and research at Washington Mutual in New York. Before that, he served as senior vice president at Dime Savings Bank of New York (which was later acquired by Washington Mutual), where he specialized in credit and risk management. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York Association for Business Economics. He has a degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Lululemon Athletica Inc. handily topped Bay Street estimates with profit of $11 million US, but its shares are still in a slump. Rick Wolfe, president, of PostStone Corp. tells BNN while the high-end yoga retailer is a small company with a big brand its stock isn't for the faint of heart.

SAN FRANCISCO -- As Hurricane Ike closed in on the Texas coast Friday, officials warned it could be a potentially catastrophic storm and flood 100,000 homes, Reuters reported on its Web site Friday. "Our nation is facing what is by any means a potentially catastrophic hurricane," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. Ike is currently a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of near 105 miles per hour. However, by the time it reaches the Texas coast, it could reach Category 3, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service

Canada’s Precision Drilling will buy Grey Wolf in a cash and stock deal worth more than $2 billion, the companies said Monday, apparently ending an extended fight for control the Houston gas driller.

Not even two weeks ago Grey Wolf shareholders spurned a rival offer from Basic Energy Services Inc., a wellsite services company in Texas, that would have created a $2.9 billion company.

Under the new agreement, Precision will pay $1.12 billion in cash and 42 million shares valued at $896.7 million, based on Friday’s closing stock price. The new offer involves less cash, but would give Grey Wolf shareholders a larger stake in the new company through a fatter share offering.

It is not the best of times for entrepreneurs. The economy seems to be going nowhere fast, consumers are spending less, and the cost of doing business seems to rise daily.

It is not the worst of times for entrepreneurs. Americans are still splurging on the things they really want; demographic trends (lots of kids are being born, more people are living longer) give rise to new business opportunities; and technology is more accessible and affordable than ever.

And then there's the employee issue. At the moment you may think you have the upper hand. When times are tough, employers usually do. As the unemployment rate climbs, employees tend to stay on jobs they hate and lay low, not making many demands. So it may seem like the best of times. But, believe me, this too shall pass.

Those of us with long memories recall a similar situation back in the '90s. At the beginning of the decade, while a recession gripped the nation, employers were in control. Raise the minimum wage? "No way!" Affordable health insurance coverage for all? "Not a chance!" Family-friendly policies like flex hours or work-at-home days? "You're lucky you have a job." Sound familiar? Many of you were employees then and can likely remember a boss or two with that "who cares about you?" attitude.

The advent of the dotcom boom changed that fast. As the economy exploded and the unemployment rate fell, the balance of power shifted from boss to worker. Businesses were born at a record pace; many of them started by people who, remembering the arrogance of their former bosses, created a new kind of workplace, one where employees were treated with respect, got better pay (and sometime stock options), and where collaboration ruled.

Sure, I know the boom became a bust, but that doesn't mean it didn't leave a legacy. Employees now expect to be treated more fairly. And they will reward that behavior with loyalty. They'll work hard for you because they know it's not all about you.

However, some of you must have missed that lesson. I've been hearing rumblings (again) against a proposed minimum-wage hike and health-care reform. I have friends who work for what can only be considered "retro" (and not in a good way) bosses: They don't like to be questioned. They expect their employees to make sacrifices while they fly to golf games in their corporate jets. It's all work and no reward for the workers, who are afraid of making a mistake. Or maybe they're just afraid of the boss. And while this approach might work for now, once the economy takes a turn for the better (and, make no mistake, it will), where will you be? Those employees will be out the door faster than you can replace them (and don't forget the cost of training new staff). Bottom line: That's no way to run a business.

If any of this sounds like you, it's not too late to repent. (Little humor there, don't send hate e-mails.) Seriously, though, in times like these you need your staff more than ever. So engage them. Ask for their input and suggestions. You may not have extra cash to reward them with, but you have an arsenal of "soft" benefits you can draw upon -- the aforementioned flex time and work-at-home-days, monthly free lunches, some comp time after a particularly grueling project, just to mention a few.

Maybe I feel so strongly about this because I'm still a new entrepreneur. I remember what it's like to be an employee, both the good and the bad parts. Think back to your worker days. What motivated you to try harder? What made you angry or disinterested? Did you respect your boss?

Now think about your staff. How motivated are they? Do they say yes to you because they're afraid to say no? Are they trying to build a career, or is it just a j-o-b to them? The answers to those questions will help determine how easy your path to success is going to be. Your employees will never be as invested in your company as you are. After all, it's your baby, not theirs. But your actions today will determine how strong your company will be in the long run. You can’t do it alone, so don’t alienate the very people who can best help you succeed.

One of the questions I'm asked most often is, "Where do I get money to start my business?" These questions often come with tidbits of other information like reports of bad credit, former bankruptcies, or empty wallets. The truth is it's difficult to find startup funding. Heck, these days it's hard for established, successful business owners to find expansion capital.

That said, I don't want that fact to discourage you from starting (or expanding) your business. All too often aspiring entrepreneurs think you need a lot of money to start a business. And if you don't have the bucks, you simply can't get started.

That's wrong. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying money is irrelevant to starting and growing a business. True, it is easier to start a business if you have money to spare, though that hardly guarantees success. But you can start a business without having a big bank account, which, since most of us aren’t related to Bill Gates, is good news.

Want to get started without spending? One smart way to do that is start a part-time business. This way you don't have to quit your day job. Starting part-time helps you maintain the steady income from your regular job, while waiting for sales to kick in from your entrepreneurial venture. It's also a good way to build up a solid customer or client base, to work the kinks out of your new business, and to gain a better understanding of your industry.

If the part-time route is not for you, there are still ways to keep an eye on your startup expenditures. Try bartering goods or services with other business owners. For instance, if you are a graphic designer and you need an accountant, try finding one willing to swap an equal dollar amount of accounting services in return for your work on their brochures, ads, and other marketing materials. (Be careful here and make sure you keep complete records of any barter arrangement. The IRS demands you report barter on your tax return.)

If you're not planning on going it alone, hiring interns or even temps instead of full-time workers can cut down on expenses. Contact your local college or university to see if they offer a formal internship program. In any case, make sure you give the interns real work and not menial tasks. And check your state laws. In some places, interns can work for free (or for class credit), but in others, like California, they must be paid at least minimum wage.

If you're short of startup funds, consider starting a low-cost business. Even if that's not your dream business, you can think of this as your starter business. Look at it as a way to earn money, perhaps enough so you can start that dream business one day. There are lots of businesses that don’t take a lot of initial investment, though they take just as much work (sometimes even more). Starting an online business (even if it's just selling stuff on eBay) can cut overhead costs and potentially earn you a lot of money.

Sometimes the money excuse is just that — an excuse. Just another reason you tell yourself you can't start your business today. If you want to be successful, you need to rid the words "I can’t because…" from your vocabulary. Excuses are easy to come by; if you let them, there will always be a never-ending supply to keep you from getting started.

There is no such thing as the perfect time to start a business. Or the perfect conditions. Many people would be too scared to start a business in today’s horrible economy. But recessions can be a great time to start. Millions of businesses were born out of the recession of the early 1990s.

Of course, the regular rules apply. You need to do your homework, write a business plan (so you know where you're headed), and be prepared to work harder than you ever imagined. But even then, progress may be slower than you like. So, while we're talking about vocabularies, you need to add the word "persistence" to yours. At the end of the day, getting a business off the ground is more about the concept, the marketing, and the execution than about how much money you have at the start.

Don't believe me? Some of the most successful entrepreneurs in history didn't start out with a hefty bankroll. Take Fred DeLuca, founder of Subway sandwiches and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Subway is the largest franchise company in America and one of the largest in the world. Did you know DeLuca started his business with $1,000 loaned to him by a family friend? Yes, $1,000. So next time you think you need tons of money to get started, think of Fred DeLuca. And remember that a thousand bucks can launch a global empire.

One of the coolest things about business blogging is the social interaction and community that is built when readers leave meaningful comments. Like a good story, a post elicits a response from the reader. As your community develops, the value of your brand increases. But this warm and fuzzy feeling that people get about your brand as they interact with you on your blog can be hard to measure and quantify. That’s where blog interaction metrics come in.

Building a blog to one or more interaction metrics can help you focus on what’s important - brand engagement.

Do you measure a successful post by the number of readers, bookmarks added to del.ic.ious, diggs, comments, number or quality of backlinks, or a combination of all the above? Some metrics have a place in your blog marketing scorecard, like number of comments. And some do not, like number of trackbacks (unless you like counting spammers — and that you could do all day!). Because the last thing you need is just more data for the sake of data